Quick-opening switch



Oct. 8, 1929. w. A. WULLE ,7

QUICK OPENING SWITCH 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1926 I5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 8, 1929.

w. A. WULLE QUICK OPENING swxwcn Filed Dec. 17, 1926 s Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Oct. 8, 1929. w; A. WULLE ,5 I QUICK OPENING SWITCH Filed Dec. 17, 192s s Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ATTORNEY I WILLIAM A. WULLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PYLE-N'ATiONAL COM- Patented Oct. 8, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE r PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY QUICK-OPENING SWITCH Application filed December 17, 1926. Serial No. 155,388.

My invention relates to quick opening switchesfor locomotive cabs and the like wherein means are provided for automatically suddenly opening the switch or breaking the circuit and has for one object to provide a hand operated switch wherein the robut wherein the handle is so held that in the open or closed position the handle will not be free to go on loosely. Otherobjects will appear from time to time throughout the specification and claims. J l

My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view with cover removed;

Figure 2 is a side elevation in part section showing the switch in closed position;

Figure 3 is a side elevation in part section showing the switch in open position;

Figure 4 is a section through the switch handle along the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 1s an end View of the switch handle;

Figure 6 is a section along the line 66 of Figure 4:.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

A is a switch. box or casing. A A are lugs by which it may be fastened in place. A A are sleeves through which the conductors may pass into suitable conduits. A is the insulating switch plug or bed upon which the switch and terminal elements are rigidly mounted in the housing. A A are terminals in line with terminals A? A so arranged that fuses may be mounted bet-ween said terminals. The conductors not shown are connected to the terminals A. A A are terminals to which Wires may also be connected so as to close switch. tation of the handle starts the switch operacircuits through the switch through the fuse. Associated with each of the terminals A A are the usual type of. spring fingers A.

A pressed together to engage andmake close electric contact with the knife edge B is a switch shaft'mounted for rotation in thebearings B B? in the walls of the boX A. Itigidly keyed to this shaft B are switch blocks B B which carry flat switch knife blades B Vhen in the closed position as shown in Figure 2 these blades are in engagement with the fingers A A5; when in the open position with the circuit broken, the

blades are out of contact with the fingers A though they may or may not still be in contact with the. fingers A B is-a' bifurcated lever rigidly attached to the shaft .13. B is a block pivotally. pinned between the bifurcated ends of the lever B Mounted in this block is a guide rod B which guide rod is free to reciprocate in the block 13 pivoted on a bracket B on the wall of the housing. Surrounding this guide rod and compressed be tween the block 13 and the member B is the switch throw spring B. It will be noted'that the parts are so arranged that when the switch is in the closed position a line joining the center of oscillation of the block 13 and the axis of the shaft B is slightly above the axial line of the pivot connection between the block 13 and the bifurcated lever B as shown in Figure 2. lVhen the switch is in the open position, the pivot line of block B and lever B is far above the line joining the axis of the block B and the shaft B. The result of this is that in the position shown in Figure 2, the spring tends to hold the switch in the closed position and the spring is under heavy compression. It also when in the open position tends to hold the switch in the open position with the spring under somewhat less compression.

C is a hub mounted on the end of the shaft B and held in place by the set screw C This hub has in its surface a slot C extending a part of the circumference. Mounted for rotation on the hub is the crankarm C having a crank handle C and terminating in an outer hub C in rotatable engagement with the hub C. C is a screw threaded in the outer hub C and having a cylindrical end C extending into the slot This pin prevents longitudinal movement of the outer hub with respect to the inner and limits the angular movement of the two hubs, one with respect to the other. C is a coil spring contained within the two hubs, anchored at one end on the outer and at the other end on the inner.

When the operator wishes to open the switch he turns the handle in a clockwise direction in Figure 2 or in Figure 5. This compresses the coil spring C slightly and moves the pin from its engagement with the left hand end of the slot C of Figure 5 to the right hand end. At that time after the spring has been compressed, further rotation of the handle in the same direction will cause rotation of the shaft B. A very slight rotation of that shaft will throw the pivot point between the block B and the lever 13 above the line joining the point of application of the spring B with the axis of the shaft B. As soon as this point is reached the spring B throws the switch violently into the position shown in Figure 3 but the play between the handle and the shaft permitted by the loose connection made between the slot and the pin through the spring in the handle permits this to take place without giving the operator an unpleasant jolt as the handle is turned.

The presence of the spring in the handle holds the handle against looseness and prevents rattling and vibration while at the same time the parts are held in such free relation as to permit this action.

It will be evident that while I have shown in my drawings an operative device still many changes might be made in the size, shape, arrangement and disposition of parts with out departing materially from the spirit of my invention and I wish, therefore, that my showing be taken as in a sense diagrammatic.

I claim:

1. A switch handle comprising a pin, an enlarged socket at one end thereof, means for rigidly locking the socket'on the end of a switch shaft, a hub mounted for rotation on the pin, there being a slot in the outer periphery of the pin, entirely enclosed by the hub, a stop screw threaded in the hub and having its end engaging the slot to hold the pin and handle against longitudinal movement.

2. A switch handle comprising a pin, an enlarged socket at one end thereof, means for rigidly locking the socket on the end of a switch shaft, a hub mounted for rotation on the pin, there being a slot in the outer periphery of the pin, a stop screw threaded in the hub and having its end engaging the slot to hold the pin and handle against longitudinal movement, there being clearance between the inside of the handle hub and the pin and a' coil spring contained therein, an

chored at one end on the handle hub and at the other end on the pin, the slot and the spring being both entirely enclosed by the hub.

3. A quick throw switch comprising an enclosed housing, a shaft mounted for rotation therein, a pair of terminal fingers mounted on the wall of the housing on opposed sides of the shaft, a blade carried by the shaft tion of the lever with respect to the guide block being such that when'the lever extends toward the block to compress the spring the pivot point between the lever and the guide rod is slightly to one side of the line joining the axis of the shaft and the pivot block and when the lever is in itsv opposite position it extends away from the pivot block and its pivot point is on the opposed side of such line and far removed therefrom, ahandle mounted for rotation on the end of the shaft 1 I where it extends beyond the housing, stop means contained within the handle and in terposed between it and the shaft to limit-the angular excursion of the handle with respect to the shaft and yielding means entirely en- 4 closed within the handle and surrounding the shaft whereby rotation of the handle applies power through such yielding means to rotate the shaft while leaving the shaft and handle free to move with respect one to an other when the spring and lever arrangementcontained within .the housing throws the switch.

Signed at Chicago county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 10th day of December 1926. I

WM. A. VVULLE.

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